Archive for September, 2006

Need for the Rule of Law

Tuesday, September 19th, 2006

Senator Richard J. Gordon yesterday renewed his call for the rule of law in light of the poor performance of the country in the World Bank Report, “Governance Matters 2006: Worldwide Governance Indicators,” citing the need for renewed vigor in the fight against corruption and the practice of good governance.

“We need to show that there is still a rule of law in this country. There is a need for transparency so that corruption can be easily observed”, said Gordon.

The report which covered 209 countries all over the world showed the marked deterioration in the performance of the country according to five indicators namely voice and accountability – from 58.9% to 47.8%; political stability and absence of violence – from 39.2% to 17.5%; government effectiveness – from 63.2% to 55.5%; regulatory quality – from 68.5% to 52%; and rule of law – from 55.3% to 38.6%.

“This report is proof positive that we need to correct certain deficiencies on the way we run our government. The executive should stand by its contracts and ensure a level playing field so that no one is unduly favored, specially relatives of people in power. Policies should be enforced by the courts and our people should be given access to courts”, said the Senator.

Gordon also warned that if government does not do anything about corruption, investors will shy away which would mean less jobs and opportunities for the people.

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PCGG execs accused of Philcomsat fund theft

Friday, September 15th, 2006
Sen. Richard Gordon on Thursday accused officials of the Presidential Commission on Good Government of stealing funds from the government-sequestered Philippine Communications Satellite Corp. (Philcomsat), ANC reported.

The accusation came after PCGG Chairman Camilo Sabio refused to answer questions posed by the panel investigating the financial irregularity in Philcomsat.

"You don’t want to answer because the answer is clear. You are milking the cow that you pretend to protect," Gordon, chairman of the Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, said, raising his voice.

Sabio invoked immunity from the panel’s investigation. He said that Executive Order No. 1 issued in February 1986 by then-President Corazon Aquino stipulates that PCGG officials are not required to testify or submit documents in any judicial, legislative or administrative proceeding.

"The facts that would be obtained from us would be obtained at a proper hearing now pending at the Sandiganbayan and later in the honorable Supreme Court," Sabio said.

Gordon said that he found it offensive how Sabio continued to lecture on the senators and display high-handedness.

"We are here to seek answers for the people and no government official will come here and tell us [he is] immune because of an executive order of dubious legality," he said.

Gordon reiterated that PCGG was created after the downfall of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to recover his and his associates’ alleged ill-gotten wealth.

"Twenty years have passed and there is no report. Twenty years have passed and we see people getting P300,000 when they should be getting P10,000. We see people getting millions of pesos," he said.

He added that the immunity clause that Sabio cited is constitutionally inconsistent and therefore invalid.

Sabio earlier criticized the Senate over what he called its "grave abuse of power" after it had him arrested for snubbing summons to appear before a panel investigation.

"The subpoena, summons, show-cause order and most especially the arrest warrant against me were null and void from the beginning. [The Senate has] no authority or whatsoever to do that," he said.

Delusional

During a heated argument at the panel hearing, Gordon described Sabio as one who is delusional and a great actor.

"I know that this man is not physically sick. He is filled with delusions that he is filled with the franchise of intelligence that he is the only one who can say so," he said.

"You are under the illusion that you are totally immune," Gordon told Sabio.

Gordon said he was offended by the kind of behavior Sabio displayed at the hearing that seemed disrespectful of the panel.

"You shout at me, no wonder your blood pressure shoots up," he told Sabio.

Following his arrest on Tuesday, Sabio was taken to the Senate building in Pasay City where he underwent a closed-door medical examination to check his blood pressure. Reports said Sabio’s blood pressure shot up as a result of his arrest.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=50473

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VERBATIM -TIME Asia Magazine

Wednesday, September 6th, 2006

"Strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance. That’s our China policy." HISAHIKO OKAZAKI, foreign-policy expert and ally of Shinzo Abe, the man likely to be Japan’s next Prime Minister, suggesting that an Abe administration would take a tough line on China

"I can never accept the claim that an Iraqi woman was raped while Saddam is President. How could I walk with my head up?" SADDAM HUSSEIN, ousted Iraqi dictator, denying allegations that Kurdish women were raped in prison during his regime, at the opening of his second trial for crimes against humanity

"It grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be." JOHN MCCAIN, Republican Senator from Arizona, criticizing the Bush Administration for "underestimating the size of the task" in Iraq and leading people to think it would be "some kind of day at the beach"

"We have a tendency to want to beat the system, in the elections, in sports accreditations, and even in civil-service exams." RICHARD GORDON, Philippine senator, on news that hundreds of applicants who took the Philippines’ nursing-board exams had been leaked the test questions in advance

"You guys in New York can’t get a hole in the ground fixed, and it’s five years later. So let’s be fair." RAY NAGIN, New Orleans Mayor, when asked about his city’s stop-and-go post-Katrina reconstruction efforts

"When that Napster guy came up across, it was like ‘Everybody’s gettin’ music for free.’ I was like, ‘Well, why not? It ain’t worth nothing anyway.’" BOB DYLAN, singer-songwriter, in a Rolling Stone interview, in which he praises records and says CD sound quality is "atrocious" Dylan’s new album, Modern Times, comes out this week

 

Sources: Financial Times; South China Morning Post ; Washington Post; International Herald Tribune; Guardian; Rolling Stone
From the Sep. 04, 2006 issue of TIME Asia magazine

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On People’s Initiative and Nursing Board Exam

Tuesday, September 5th, 2006

We Need To Pass An Enabling Law for PI

Following the resolution of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to junk the people’s initiative petition filed by Sigaw ng Bayan and Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) for lack of an enabling law, Senator Richard J. Gordon yesterday emphasized the urgent need for the Legislature to pass a law to provide for the implementation of this right.

"The COMELEC resolution merely acknowledged the Supreme Court decision on this matter which declared that ‘while the Constitution has recognized or granted that right [of people's initiative], the people cannot exercise it if Congress, for whatever reason, does not provide for its implementation.’ Hence, we will be working very hard to provide for its implementation at the soonest possible time," said Gordon.

Gordon, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws, earlier conducted a hearing on August 29, 2006 towards passing an enabling law to provide for the implementation of the right of the people to directly propose amendments to the Constitution through people’s initiative.

"Aside from differentiating between amendments and revision, and the extent of amendments that can be proposed through people’s initiative, the need to safeguard the process of implementing this right to protect the people’s will called our utmost attention at this Senate hearing," stated Gordon.

Gordon stressed the importance of "laying down a lawful process for the exercise of this Constitutional right to ensure that the people are not hoodwinked into proposing amendments to the Constitution that they do not want or understand." "Currently, amendments to the Constitution are crafted by wily politicians that are seeking to promote their own agenda, which puts our Constitution in danger of becoming a trapo or oil-soaked rag Constitution," he added.

"We will probably call another hearing to wrap up our findings and then submit a Committee Report, together with the bill for second reading, to the Senate very soon," declared Gordon.

In denying to give due course to the people’s initiative petition, Gordon also lauded the COMELEC for deciding in accordance with law and added that "this builds the people’s confidence in the COMELEC Commissioners as people of integrity and the COMELEC as a democratic institution."

The Supreme Court permanently enjoined COMELEC from taking cognizance of any petition for people’s initiative to propose amendments to the Constitution until a sufficient law is enacted.

1 September 2006

2 BON Examiners Merely Fall Gals As NBI Report Provides No Closure

"The two Board of Nursing (BON) members against whom the NBI has recommended the filing of charges for their involvement in the alleged board exam leakage are mere fall guys." Senator Richard Gordon yesterday said

"Why does it seem like we are back in square one despite the lapse of over a month from the time that this matter was brought to the NBI for further investigation? Are we any closer to determining the real culprits behind the leakage? Can we already identify the areas, institutions or individuals who were able to secure copies of the leakage materials?" Gordon asked

The report of the National Bureau Investigation after conducting its investigation into the alleged leakage in the June 2006 nursing board examinations merely recommended the filing of charges against the 2 members of the Board of Nursing who had already been identified in the fact finding report of the PRC after its own study of the matter.

In its own fact finding report, the PRC admitted that it did not have the wherewithal to determine with finality the scope of the leakage, the culprits behind it, as well as the beneficiaries of thereof. The PRC left it to the NBI to look further into the matter.

"The examinees from the last nursing board remain in limbo. We cannot fool ourselves by simply sweeping things under the rug. Until we can put closure to this entire mess by putting the all of the culprits behind bars and ordering a retake of Tests 3 and 5 for those who are shown to have received the leakage materials, the blemish on all of the aspiring nurses from this batch, and of the Philippine nursing community as a whole, will remain." Gordon added.

1 September 2006

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